You have found us ,if you lived on or around the Cuckoo estate,attended any of the local schools.Had family who live on the Cuckoo estate.Your Grandparents or parents lived or where born on the Cuckoo estate.Then you are in the right place to meet old friends and new ones.Get involved in our group and become a Cuckooite.

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Thursday, 12 February 2009

Unsung heroes,By Jim Davis.

Before you all start telling me off I know this shouldn't be put here, but I thought it was a shame to waste the space. It might be something others might want to pick up on. Let me call it (Unsung heroes). Just a few years ago when I was a teenager, my mum and I had a few cross words and she threw me out. I cannot even remember what it was over but it must have been her fault. I grabbed a bag and left, and at first I gave it no thought, then after a while I thought Oh shit! I have got no money, it is in the middle of the winter, it's bloody cold and I've got nowhere to sleep, and I am not going home to apologize. Then I suddenly remembered Jim Farley from Homefarm Road. Outside his house was a big old black American Car. I thought that was better than nothing, so I got the keys of the car from Jim, then later I got on the back seat, covered myself with my coat and feeling none to comfortable tried to get some sleep. I was hovering between being asleep and awake, when suddenly I was startled by a big woman banging on the window near my head. I thought she was going to clear me off out of it, but much to my surprise she said you can't sleep in there, and took me into her nice warm house. Mrs Farley used to act like she was hard, but boy did she have a kind heart, because in that three bedroom council house, lived Mrs Farley, Jim, and the twins Brian & Pat, Marg & Barbara Kennardy, big Ginger Bill from Greenford and me. Jim, Bill & I slept on the floor in the front room, and the others had the bedrooms. Whilst living there we all had a lot of fun, and what's more Mrs Farley turned out to be our unsung hero, because what would have happened to us all if her kind heart had not taken us in. Does anyone else have an unsung hero from the Estate?

14 comments:

Tommy
said...

My unsung hero as a kid was a guy by the name of Ernie Ball,how many of you remember him.He was my boxing coach at the Hoover boxing club.I started boxing at the early age of eleven and Ernie was my mentor.He trained me and I went on to win and become the Middlesex schoolboy champion.In later years Ernie became a youth club leader at Leyland road youth club in west Ealing.He was rough and ready but was allways around for me growing up.I lost track with Ernie when I went into the army to do my National service I have often wondered what happened to him.Does anyone remember Ernie Ball a true Cuckoo unsung hero

You rotter Tommy Ernie was going to be my next unsung hero. It was not only you he helped. It was a very large group of lads, that through his dedication to a sport he loved, and the discipline he instilled in those lads. He as sure as God made little green apples stopped a lot of them going down the wrong road. As you know boxing is a hard physical sport, but those that have boxed learned how to respect others. And I do not know one boxer who was a bully. Because they learned self confidence under Ernie, and did not feel the need to show off and be nasty. Yes Tommy Ernie was a good example of my kind of hero.

As I said once before, my hero was Dr. Lasnick, although he was hardly unsung, as comments from other Cuckooites proved. However, quite by chance, a few weeks ago I discovered a link to him and earlier this week had a response to my inquiries. The outcome was that last night I had a call from Sylvia, his widow, and we had an interesting chat. She remarried four years after his death and gave me news of their daughter, Judith. Hopefully she may check out our site and make a comment or two. Del.

Del, I'm flabbergasted, Dr. Lasnics wife still alive.In 1947 through 1952 Dr. Lasnic called at our house from time to time to see my dad who for years was a sick man, he would have been about 35-40 which by my count would have made him about 95 today, was his wife much younger, do you know what happened to his sister the receptionist?

Bob, Sylvia, Avroom's wife was thirty four when they married. She was a very attractive lady and their daughter was about eighteen months old when I met them. Mirriam, (Mary) who was his receptionist, developed Parkinsons Disease after Avroom's death and died some years ago. Del.

Avroom was a kind of father-figure to me. Over the years he gave me such good advice that I owe him a lot. Even today I might have some kind of problem and instantly wish that I could just pick up the 'phone and speak to him. After the war he bought an ex police Wolesley and now, watching some detective programmes on the box, one appears and I'm back to thinking about him again. When I was teaching I always passed on his words of wisdom to my students and gave him credit for them. A great loss to us all. Del.

Del In my book I wrote about my son Phillip, and the family Dr who came to our home, and arranged for him to be admitted into King Edward's Hospital in Ealing immediately. He used the telephone of our next door neighbor Wendy Taylor from( Mayfield Gardens) as at that time we did not have one. As you others that purchase my book already know, young Phillip died. So I will say no more about that, and cut to the chase except. Phillip was in the hospital 24 hours before the consultant realized he had fluid on one Lung. Then another 24 hours before she realized it was indeed in both Lungs. Well you know what happened after that. But some months after Phillip died my Wendy and I was talking to Wendy Taylor and she said. When our Doctor went to her house to use the phone, he told her that our son had fluid on both Lungs. This was in 1967, we lived on the 9th floor of a tower block, and the GP was still recovering from a heart attack, it was at night, and very cold. Yet still he came out to see our son. Under the circumstances, had he decided not come himself and called an emergency Doctor instead, it would have been understandable. But not him, he came to us, and although we were unaware of it at the time diagnosed Phillips problem immediately. Two days it took the hospital to discover the same thing. Yes my Doctor was a good one, and what's more he was a good man. Who was my Doctor? I think you are in front of me now, it was Dr Lasnick. Another great choice for a Cuckooite hero.

How many of you remember playing moving chairs in his waiting room.The place would be full as you just showed up.when some one went into his surgery everyone would move to the next chair this way you new who was next.He also used to mix his own perscriptions for you aspecially if you had a cougth or the flu.

I rember DR Lasnick we were moving from Wales to Hertfordshire and i was expecting my son ,my mother told him about it, as my daughter was under two he said let her have the baby here and i will care for her ,he booked the midwife etc and saw i was ok so my son was born in Upfield RD a wonderfull man a lovely Docter.

Most of us by now I am sure know about Valb, with the time and effort she puts in for Blind Bowlers. She must make a large positive difference to the quality of their lives. Also George & Joan Key with their work for meals on wheels. The people they deliver to must really look forward to them calling each day. We hear so much about what is wrong with people now days, but not enough about what is good. But good people are still out there, as the three Cuckooites above does show.

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